t manufacturing,
such as jewelry; electric appliances and components, integrated circuits,
furniture, plastics; world's second-largest tungsten producer and
third-largest tin producer
Agriculture:
accounts for 12% of GDP and 60% of labor force; leading producer and
exporter of rice and cassava (tapioca); other crops - rubber, corn,
sugarcane, coconuts, soybeans; except for wheat, self-sufficient in food
Illicit drugs:
a minor producer, major illicit trafficker of heroin, particularly from
Burma and Laos, and cannabis for the international drug market; eradication
efforts have reduced the area of cannabis cultivation and shifted some
production to neighboring countries; opium poppy cultivation has been
affected by eradication efforts; also a major drug money laundering center
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $870 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $8.6 billion; OPEC
bilateral aid (1979-89), $19 million
Currency:
1 baht (B) = 100 satang
Exchange rates:
baht (B) per US$1 - 25.280 (April 1993), 25.400 (1992), 25.517 (1991),
25.585 (1990), 25.702 (1989), 25.294 (1988)
Fiscal year:
1 October-30 September

*Thailand, Communications

Railroads:
3,940 km 1.000-meter gauge, 99 km double track
Highways:
77,697 km total; 35,855 km paved (including 88 km expressways), 14,092 km
gravel or other stabilization, 27,750 km mostly dirt and other (1988)
Inland waterways:
3,999 km principal waterways; 3,701 km with navigable depths of 0.9 m or
more throughout the year; numerous minor waterways navigable by
shallow-draft native craft
Pipelines:
natural gas 350 km, petroleum products 67 km
Ports:
Bangkok, Pattani, Phuket, Sattahip, Si Racha
Merchant marine:
169 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 752,055 GRT/1,166,136 DWT; includes 1
short-sea passenger, 91 cargo, 12 container, 40 oil tanker, 9 liquefied gas,
2 chemical tanker, 5 bulk, 6 refrigerated cargo, 2 combination bulk, 1
passenger
Airports:
total:
106
usable:
95
with permanent-surface runways:
51
with runways over 3,659 m:
1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
14
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
28
Telecommunications:
service to general public inadequate; bulk of service to government
activities provided by multichannel cable and microwave radio relay network;
739,500 telephones (1987); broadcast stations - over 200 AM, 1